This excellent instructional manual can answer most of our concerns of today. Written by an undoubted passionate believer, "The observances of etiquette at large social or offical functions are the very foundations of law and order without which chaos would result." says Noreen.
By far the largest section of the book (140 pages) is about dealing with family, friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers. There are pages about dinner parties (that is the formal and the informal. known as the 'at home'): how to prepare for them and what to do at them (it will come as a relief to know that you, as a busy woman, can take your knitting with you). The garden party is described as "one of the finest social improvisations" and can be easily converted to an 'at home' if it rains.
There is lots about relationships - engagements - you have even shove in an 'at home' here, the wedding, the reception, how to make speeches, avoid throwing rice - even if there has been a good crop, and one month after a wedding there is nothing wrong with a few back-to-back 'at homes' to have a more informal knees up with good friends.
And there is a whole section about fair play in sports, with two pages on bowls, sound advice to young men on how to be socially adept, and a special mention for etiquette when travelling - hoons take note.
The other 70 pages tell you how to address folk, starting with royalty, moving across to the Gov General, politicians, the armed forces (Sir is quite a useful one for that) the various clergy, the peerage and so on.
Wonderful little book. In good condition for its age, but alas, sometime in the past an unruly child under 5 took a pencil to a few pages and drew a picture of Noreen I suppose. It can easily be rubbed out, but the picture may also be 65 years old, so I left it..
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